ANN ARBOR -- Greg Mattison knew what was coming and armed himself with monotony.

He knew that, just as sure as the sun was going to set on Sunday and rise on Monday, he was going to be asked endlessly about Jabrill Peppers on Sunday. For Mattison, Michigan football's media day was his opportunity to remind everyone that Peppers, Ann Arbor's favorite five-star recruit, is now merely one of 85 scholarship players.

No more. No less.

"We coach him really, really hard," Mattison said, preparing to bottle the hype. "There's no pampering. (He's) just a guy in our defense."

Except Peppers is the only guy drawing comparisons to Heisman Trophy-winning cornerback Charles Woodson, despite having yet to play a game at Michigan.

"Obviously with his success in high school, he'll probably get attention, but he's been very mature about it," Mattison said. "He understands that it's Michigan now. OK? When you're (at) Michigan, you're just one (player) on the team. You're responsible to do what the team is asking you and that's what he's done."

Peppers came to Michigan as the country's No. 1-ranked cornerback prospect and No. 3-ranked player overall, according to Rivals.com. He was All-Everything at Paramus Catholic High School in New Jersey. For good measure, he went and won the New Jersey state track championship in the 100- and 200-meter dash in back-to-back years.

So the hype has some basis. As a result, Mattison lauded Peppers nearly as much for his handling of the pomp and circumstances, as he did the 6-foot-1, 202-pound freshman's preseason play.

"He's talented, let's face it. ... But with him choosing to come to Michigan, now he has to prove that he's a Michigan football player," Mattison said. "That happens every day at practice and, at this point, he's embraced that and has tried to come out every day to be the best player he can be."

Peppers, like all Michigan football freshmen, wasn't made available to reporters at media day. He did, however, sign autographs on the field at Michigan Stadium for Youth Day, which was held later on Sunday afternoon. Fans lined up in droves for the chance to meet him.

Mattison, meanwhile, was asked about the decision to play Peppers primarily as a nickel back.

"The nickel position is a very, very important position on the defense now, compared to the way it was maybe five-to-10 years ago," Mattison said. "You have to have a guy in there that's going to be playing a whole bunch in that game."

As a senior at Paramus Catholic, he rushed for 595 yards and six touchdowns, caught 25 passes for 413 yards and nine touchdowns, and also worked as a kick and punt returner.

New Michigan offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier was asked Sunday if Peppers might see some snaps on the other side of the ball.

"You'll have to ask that one to coach (Brady Hoke)," he replied.

Hoke hasn't ruled anything out, but often makes it known that Peppers appearing on offense isn't a priority.

Chances of seeing Peppers as a returner remain strong, though. He was seen fielding punts alongside teammates during Friday's practice.

Regardless, every decision made regarding Peppers will be inspected internally and dissected externally.

Not that that matters much to Mattison. The 64-year-old said he doesn't notice the attention that's lavished on Peppers.

"I really don't," he said. "To be honest with you, when he's in a meeting, I wouldn't even know he's there. I wouldn't know he's there because he's being coached just like everybody else. That's the farthest from our thoughts."

What is on Mattison's mind is Peppers' play, not his hype.

"I expect him to play up to his ability," the defensive coordinator said. "We wouldn't have him in there if we didn't feel like he could help us have a really, really good defense."

Brendan F. Quinn covers University of Michigan basketball and football. Follow him on Twitter for the latest on Wolverines hoops. He can be contacted at bquinn@mlive.com